Darkest before Dawn
by violetphoeniix
Summary: Six weeks after Robin's departure, Regina is hopeless that they will ever be reunited. That is, until she makes a shocking discovery.
1. The Darkest Moment

Chapter 1: The Darkest Moment

Six weeks. It had been six weeks since Robin left. Emma had thrown out her original idea that Regina didn't need a hope speech ever since they found the library in the Sorcerer's home, and Regina was growing increasingly tired of them. She needed to forget Robin. There was no way for him to return. Those thoughts didn't stop the pain, however. It didn't stop the pain in her heart every time she stepped foot in her vault, or the library… or even the mayor's office. Everything made her think of him. In fact, everywhere she went, if she didn't stop herself, she would imagine it being the moment that Robin found his way back to her… But it was six weeks later, and nothing. No new leads on the book's author, no Robin… And Mr. Gold had yet to return as well. His return would have given her some hope that one can return to Storybrooke, and she knew he would stop at nothing to return. The thought that not even Gold had found a way to return especially made her heart sink.

To Regina's dismay, Emma and Henry both kept a close watch on her. Henry had somehow managed to hide _all_ of her potions, so she wouldn't do something drastic in one of her weak moments. She tried so many times to ask for them back, but he refused to budge. It was probably for the best though. Every day Emma would check on Regina, just trying to help her make it through the day. Regina never thought that Emma and herself could be friends, but at this trying time in her life, Emma seemed to be exactly the friend that Regina needed. Emma was the one person who knew when Regina was lying that she was doing alright, which she never really was, but tried to put on a brave face. Snow had also decided that maybe the best thing for Regina was to stay busy by finding something to keep her mind off of her loss. Regina was now the mayor again, and it did help to a certain extent. Paperwork seemed to help Regina keep her mind off of her pain, even for a little while. A plus side to this was that the town was running smoother than ever.

Regina had gone in early to the office on this particular morning. She couldn't manage to sleep much that night. "Good morning, Regina!" Emma said, opening the door. "You're in early today... Everything alright?"

Regina didn't look away from her paperwork, not wanting to answer the question. Emma walked up to her desk and put her hand over the papers." Hey, Regina. Come on, talk. What's going on?"

"I uh…" she sighed, "couldn't sleep." She still didn't raise her head.

"Why?" Emma asked sternly.

"Robin…" she tried her best to hide the fact that she was choking up, "I can't go to sleep without seeing his face. Every time I close my eyes it's the same thing… I can't escape him." She finally looked up, tears building in her eyes now, "It's… it's torture."

"Regina," Emma put her hand on Regina's, "We're going to find him, _I promise you_. You can't give up."

Regina looked down again, shaking her head. She didn't know how many more hope speeches she could take. "Don't you remember when you thought you'd never see Henry again? That he was lost to you forever? That was much worse than this! His memories of you were gone. The portals between worlds were gone too! This is just a curse on the town line. If we put our heads together, I _know_ we can figure out how to break it. You have to have hope, Regina! Robin remembers you, he chose you! Now you have to choose to not give up on him—"

"—_Enough_, Swan!" Regina stood, pounding her hands on the table. "Don't you understand? _Hope_ is the reason I'm suffering right now!" She snapped.

"For right now! But we're going to fix this! You can't give up! I won't _let_ you give up!"

Regina spun around, facing the window now, hands on her hips. Emma was right. They'd overcome more impossible things than this… "It would have been better if he hadn't chosen me, Emma. I was ready to give him up… But, but knowing that he would have stayed with me, that we would be together right now if only—"

Emma recognized this rant. They'd had this conversation a million times, and it _always_ ended with Regina in tears. "Hey hey hey, let's not go there today, okay?"

Regina turned to face Emma, "I just…" then, without warning, Regina felt a pain in her stomach. "I…" Regina ran as fast as she could to the nearest trash can and began to vomit.

"Regina!" Emma ran to her and knelt on the ground beside her.

Regina rarely threw up. It had literally been years since the last occurrence… She was disoriented for a moment, and then it hit her all at once. "No…" she cried, falling to the floor…

"Regina, what is it?" Regina looked up at Emma…

"No… This can't be happening. Not now…" Regina mumbled to herself. She should have seen the signs. She just assumed all of the stress was why she missed her cycle but…

"Wait," Emma finally understood, "you don't think you're—"

Regina froze, paralyzed by fear. "This is not happening. It can't." But it was. Four positive pregnancy tests later, it finally began to sink in.

Regina returned to her office after taking the tests, where Emma was waiting. "So?"

"I'm pregnant…" she said, plainly. "Perfect." For the first time since Robin left, Emma had no idea what to tell Regina. She could talk to her about how she found out she was pregnant with Henry after Neal abandoned her, but that story didn't exactly have a happy ending.

"We need to find Robin." Regina finally stated, breaking the awkward silence.

"Wait, really?" Emma was shocked.

"Actually, no, we're _going_ to find him."


	2. The Horizon

Chapter 2: The Horizon

For the first time since they found the library, Emma could see something in Regina's eyes other than pain. She could see hope, and not only hope, but determination. Emma stood, "now that's what I like to hear!" At that Regina smiled. She had only smiled maybe twice since Robin left, and even then, the pain in her eyes was still there. Hope was returning to her, and it was a beautiful sight. "Ok, first thing's first – where do you think Robin is?"

"Well, somewhere in New York I would assume. Ever since I told Roland about it he never stopped nagging Robin about going." Robin always had a hard time saying no to Roland, "But, shouldn't we figure out how to break the curse on the town line first?"

"Well, it's been almost two months and we still haven't figured that out so, I'm thinking we should start with something I know for sure we can do." Emma said.

"Alright, good point. Maybe if you and Henry would let me have my potions back I could do a locator spe—"

"No, Regina." Emma said sternly. Robin had mentioned to Emma once how Regina tried to cast a sleeping curse on herself after losing Henry. The last thing Emma needed was one more complication, so she wasn't about to take her chances. "You're not getting those back just yet. Besides, you need to _follow_ a locator spell, and we're not leaving town until we break the curse on the town line. Let's just find out where he is and we'll take it from there, deal?"

"Okay, well, what did you have in mind?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Emma smiled, and they set off to Gold's shop.

Emma prayed that Belle would be in the shop this early. She alternated between the shop and the library now that Mr. Gold was gone. Thankfully, the door was unlocked.

"Emma, I didn't expect to see you here at this hour. What can I do for you?"

"We're going to find Robin, and we need your help." Emma stated.

Belle was confused. "I'm sure you're aware that no one who leaves town can return."

"Yes, we're aware. We're taking baby steps," Regina paused, noticing her choice of words," Uh, I mean, we're just trying to start somewhere for now."

"Alright, what can I do for you then?" Belle asked.

"The globe Mr. Gold used to find his son… do you still have it?"

"Yes, it's in the back. Give me a moment."

"Emma that's brilliant! Except, you need someone who's blood related to who you want to find." Regina whispered.

Emma looked down at Regina's stomach and she quickly caught on to what Emma was thinking. Regina placed her hands over her stomach protectively. "Are you crazy, Emma?! I'm not even two months along!"

"Well, I mean, that's talking worst case scenario, here. Everyone that lives here seems to be related somehow, I mean it's actually pretty ridiculous if you think about it. I doubt that Robin is an exception to that. And if we can't find someone, we can wait until that baby is born." At that moment Belle returned from the back, globe in hand.

"Baby? What bab—"Belle paused when they both seemed startled. They obviously hadn't wanted her to hear them. "Oh… Well, I uh, I understand your urgency in finding Robin then." She set the globe on the counter. "Which blood relative will you be using to locate him, then?"

"Oh," Regina looked at Emma, and they both turned to Belle. "See we uh, we don't know of anyone… yet." Regina then realized the wording Belle had used. "Wait, what do you mean by _which_ blood relative?"

"Oh, I assumed you knew that Will Scarlet is his brother. Well, half-brother, but it will do. And then of course he has a few cousins among the Merry Men." Belle stated very matter-of-factly. "I have this nasty habit of listening in on others' conversation, aha." Emma and Regina stared blankly at Belle; they didn't seem to find her attempt at a joke very funny at that particular moment.

"So, uh, Will Scarlet it is then!" said Emma.

About an hour later they arrived back at the shop with Will Scarlet. "Look Emma, I'm happy to help, but what's the point of this exactly? No one can return to town. And what about Marian… and Roland? Marian will die if she comes back and," Emma kicked Will in the shin before he could finish and he stumbled into the counter. Regina didn't need to hear this right now. She needed something she could hold onto. Plus, Emma didn't mind a reason to push Will around.

"We're taking this one step at a time here, alright? For now, we just need to know where Robin is - so stop asking questions!" Emma actually didn't know the answers to any of those questions… But for right now, Regina just needed _something _- some break to keep her new-found hope alive.

"Alright alright I'll stop yappin', then." Will pricked his finger on the tip of the globe and they all watched as the drop of blood fell, morphing into what would lead them to Robin. Moments later, Robin's location was clear.

"New York!" A huge smile crept onto Regina's face. Emma was right that even a small break in this situation would help. Regina turned to Emma," I was right, he's in New York!" They didn't know exactly where in New York, or what the hell they were going to do if they found him, but it was alright. Emma had gone with Mr. Gold there once before to find Baelfire. Heck, even Hook had managed to find Emma in New York. Emma knew the city well – this was beginning to look like something they just might be able to do.

"Great, we know where he is." Said Will, unimpressed. "Now what are we supposed—"

Emma pointed to the door, "Leave, _NOW!_"

Will lifted his hands, relenting, "Alright, ya don't have to yell, I'm goin'."

Regina turned to Emma once Will was gone, the smile fading from her face, "He's right, though… What are we supposed to do about the town line… about Marian?" Regina was starting to worry again.

"Well, how hard can it be to break a dead person's curse?" Apparently very difficult, as it turned out. But Emma wasn't about to discuss that with Regina. Emma hadn't a clue what they would do about the curse, she had some ideas about it, yes. Like how the curse should have been broken when Ingrid died, as well as the curse on Marian lifted. Gold's words came to mind, "magic can never be destroyed, it simply changes form." And she remembered how snow had covered the entire town when the Snow Queen sacrificed herself. She didn't know for sure what all of it meant, but she did know one thing to always be true - true love is the most powerful magic of all, and true love _always_ prevails.

**Note: Anyone interested in knowing how Robin's doing in New York with Roland and Marian? Please comment! **


	3. Autopilot

**Note: I love Robin and Regina's story, but I've always wanted Marian to find happiness. Besides Regina, I'm pretty sure her life sucks the most because of being brought to the future. I think she really does deserve to be chosen by someone who's crazy about her…. **

**And shout out to my wonderful BETA Darley1101, who was incredibly helpful in this chapter! **

Chapter 3: Autopilot

It wasn't a marriage. It wasn't friendship. They didn't even know what they were. Once again, Robin was with Marian out of obligation. Every day, he would catch himself wishing that they had more time to come up with a solution. If they just had more time, maybe, just maybe it wouldn't have had to end in goodbye. Still, he tried his best to put his feelings aside and do what was best for his family. The thought often crossed his mind of how for all those years, this, having his family together, getting to raise Roland with Marian, was all he wanted. How he'd spent years just wishing for her back. But now, he hated himself for sometimes wishing that she'd never come back. He understood now, more than ever before, why the laws of magic weren't to be broken; the mess that was his life was proof of what resulted from such things. He tried to smile through the pain of losing Regina, but it never came across genuine. He tried to make the best of the horrible situation, but it never seemed to be good enough. He wasn't happy. He wasn't sad. He simply felt pain, and when he didn't feel pain, he felt dead inside, like he was living his life on autopilot. Once they arrived in New York he found work as a bartender, which provided a nice distraction from the numbing pain in his heart. New York was full of interesting people, which he'd met quite a few of while bartending. However, he found the women of this world incredibly forward, and at times very desperate and needy. It just made him miss Regina even more because of her independence, because her incredible strength. Night after night drunk party girls tried to hit on him, which was the reason he began to wear a make-shift wedding ring in hopes that that might help. It helped some, but some girls just saw it as more of a challenge. He quickly learned that apparently girls found his accent "hot," a comparison that never made much sense to him. The criminals in New York were another interesting highlight. A couple times a pathetic excuse for a pickpocket tried to steal from him, _Robin Hood_, which always ended badly for the poor, misguided fools.

Marian felt guilty that she was the reason Robin wasn't happy, the reason he didn't have Regina. He tried to make her believe that he was happy, that just maybe this new life could work for them, but she knew him better than to believe him. He tried kind gestures towards her, which she appreciated, but it also hurt because she knew it wasn't from his heart. Every day she grew increasingly angry. Not at Robin, nor Regina, but at life. This never would have been the life she wanted. She was alive, but she, like Robin, was not living. How could she? When she woke up every night to her "husband" calling out in his sleep for Regina… how Roland asked her at least several times a week when he could see "Mama Gina." He didn't understand, and she couldn't blame him for that, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

About a month after they were settled in New York, Marian went to the corner store about a block from their apartment to pick up a few things. Roland had a cough, and apparently in this world there were medicines for such things. She browsed through the different medicines, picked one up, and began to read the label : _Overdose warning: In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away. _Poison.For just a moment, she let herself wonder if death would be better than the life she was living. Of course she never would end her life, but when things got difficult, she often wondered why exactly she wasn't dead. She'd recently learned she was apparently "dead" for 29 years. She wondered if things would be better if it had stayed that way, that maybe Robin wouldn't be dying inside right now if she hadn't returned. Death hadn't seemed to stop chasing her ever since she appeared in this world, maybe it was time she let it catch up. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be. Suddenly a man's voice stole her away from her thoughts.

"That's the weak stuff," she looked up to see a NYC fireman standing several feet from her. "I'd try Excedrin for migraines - always works for me." Apparently she had been staring at the label for a while; she had previously been alone.

"Oh, umm thank you. I was just looking." She met his glance and couldn't help but blush. "I uh, I really don't know much about any of this." She examined the fireman for a moment. She'd seen firemen around before, but something about this one stood out. He was tall with dark hair, and a beautifully genuine smile. He was in uniform, and smelled strongly of smoke; he must have just come from a fire. "I just arrived here not long ago," this statement had more truth to it than the fireman would ever realize, "I'm just a little unfamiliar with things."

He smiled. "Yeah, New York will take some getting used to, but I think you're gonna love it here." New York was a strange place, indeed. Strangers always seemed to be rude to her, and this was the first time one had shown her kindness.

"Thank you."

"My name is Anthony, by the way." He added before he reached his hand out to hers.

"Marian." She said as she shook his hand.

"Marian… You mean like, Maid Marian from Robin Hood?" Marian's eye's widened. She hadn't exactly been clued in on the fact that people of this world knew her and everyone else from the Enchanted Forest as storybook characters. "How crazy!" he continued, not noticing the look of shock on her face, "That's my favorite movie. Though, I think you would fit the character better than Cate Blanchett for some reason…." Marian was still completely lost, but after a certain point she'd stopped paying attention to what he was saying and simply just took in the sight of him. His build, height, and the way he carried himself reminded her of a Knight back in the Enchanted Forest. He continued to say something about the story of Robin Hood, but Marian just smiled politely and pretended she understood - she didn't want to alarm him with why what he said was so confusing. That and, she had suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

"…Sorry, there I go on rambling, it's a nasty habit of mine. Hey look, I'd better get back to the station. So, I'll see you around then? I hope you find what you're looking for."

Thinking back to where her mind had gone merely moments before, she began to wonder if maybe there was a reason she wasn't dead after all. "I hope so too." She said to herself as he walked away.

**Endnote: Fun fact, Marian meeting Anthony in the drug store is loosely based on a real life encounter of mine (minus the borderline suicidal thoughts). Also, for those of you who haven't seen it, Cate Blanchett is the actress who played Marian in the 2010 Robin Hood movie. Also, there's a story behind why Robin is working as a bartender – that'll be for a little bit later! Anyone interested in a little anecdote of someone trying to steal from the Prince of Thieves? ;) **


	4. Reasons

**Note: I have literally **_**always**_** wondered what happened with Robin and Regina immediately after the library scene... This chapter is inspired by the two songs I've had on repeat for the past couple days. If you haven't heard them, they'll definitely give you major Outlaw Queen feels. "Latch (acoustic)" by Sam Smith, and "Don't Let Me Go" by RAIGN. Enjoy! Once again thank you to my BETA, Darley1101 who is a complete lifesaver. **

Chapter 4: Reasons

There were still so many unanswered questions. Still so many things to work out. But now, a plan was set in motion. There had been a break, after weeks of searching and finding nothing. Of all the mess of emotions she had been feeling these past six weeks, she was surprised that loneliness was not one of them. She felt as though she should feel lonely, but she never truly did. She tried to attribute that to the fact that Emma and Henry never seemed to leave her alone, but she knew, deep down, that wasn't it. As if some piece of Robin had remained with her, _never_ allowing her to give up Hope, even after she tore up the page... and now, after today, she finally knew why.

Regina returned to her home late that night. Henry was already asleep. She felt sick; she had tried eating a couple times that day, but nothing stayed down. She was beginning to feel weak and figured she'd better get some sleep, and maybe, just maybe let herself sleep in the next day. She began to climb the stairs, but found herself feeling dizzy after a few steps, probably because by this point her blood sugar was low from not eating. She eventually just transported herself straight into her bed and kicked off her heels.

The entirety of the past six weeks Regina had feared going to sleep; she knew that no matter how hard her conscious mind didn't want to hold onto Robin, she knew that her heart and her subconscious mind would never let him go. And it never did. Every night she dreamt of him. The memory of him, of what they shared, his deep love for her, refused to leave her, and she _hated_ it. Every single day she had told herself that she needed to let go, and every single day she failed...

But today, as she laid in her bed, by herself, but not alone, she let her mind go where it had been fighting to go for the past two months. She closed her eyes and let herself imagine her time with Robin. She let herself smile at how obnoxious he was, and how she adored every part of him. She let herself replay the moment when he told her he chose her, and let herself feel his arm around her shoulder as she didn't hold back from smiling like an idiot. Robin was the only person she ever smiled like that around… she felt that she could because, she knew that he loved her and fully accepted every part of who she was. That's why she allowed herself to show weakness around him, because she knew her heart was safe with him. She trusted him, more than she had ever trusted anyone. These thoughts, these moments, sung her to sleep. As she thought about Robin, about how he was the most amazing person she had ever known, she knew it would be a horrible injustice for their child to never have the chance to meet him. If it were up to her, she would let Robin go, for good… After all, she was used to losing the things she held most dear. But now, no, now she had someone else's life, someone else's happiness to think about. Regina placed her hands where the new life was growing inside of her and whispered, "Don't worry, my love, I'll make sure you get to meet him." And as she drifted away, her mind returned to the last time she fell asleep feeling completely loved, completely at peace.

"_I owe someone a quarter." Robin didn't understand, but it wasn't important, not at that moment anyway. She leaned in to kiss him, and for the first time since Marian had returned, did so without feeling guilty. She let herself love him, because for the first time, she felt like maybe, just maybe, Robin could be hers. Seeing them together on that page, even though she didn't know what it meant, made her believe that there was something bigger at work than just her and her past. Maybe she could have a happy ending. Maybe her future could be as though she and Robin _did_ meet in the Tavern that night. That no matter what really happened in the past, the future was still theirs for the taking. _

_Regina pulled away from Robin and smiled. Robin knew that smile meant she was up to something. Regina twirled her hands and brought them, and the book, back to her room. Robin took in the surroundings and realized where she had taken them, "Haha, _you_!" he said as he tackled a laughing Regina into her bed. It was in that moment that she knew that no matter what happened, her heart would never be able to let him go. She kissed him slowly, sweetly, pouring every bit of love in her heart into him. Robin pulled back, propping himself on top of her. The room was dark, but the moonlight seemed to reflect in her shining brown eyes "I love you." He whispered, and went in to kiss her once more, with more passion than she had ever felt from his kisses. _

_She pulled him back down on top of her by the back of his neck, holding him as close as she possibly could and rolled him over so that she was now on top of him. She pulled back and drank in the sight of him. Seeing Robin's face in moments like these was one of her favorite sights. She _knew_ that she blew him away, and she took great pleasure in seeing that in his face. In seeing that "you're the only one I see" look in his eyes. After a few seconds, she kissed him again, only this time she began yanking at his vest, pulling it off. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, pleased with where she wanted to take things. They made love, slowly, and sweetly. Not out of desperation for each other, not out of missing each other, but fully and completely out of love. They lost themselves in each other, not feeling guilty that it might be wrong, and not trying to squeeze every ounce of pleasure from the moment before it would be gone. They lived in this moment, not thinking about the future nor the past. _

_When they were finally drifting off to sleep in each others' arms, Regina couldn't help but smile at the fact that this was the first time she'd fallen asleep in someone's embrace. Yes, she'd had Graham at one point, but they didn't love one another; he never embraced her. The previous night, Robin had fallen asleep holding her, but she laid wide awake, guilt-ridden. After she knew he was asleep, she left Robin to sleep alone in the secret room in her vault and settled for the cot outside the room. Her conscience was eating at her the entire night. She'd probably screwed up badly enough - she wouldn't reward herself with the pleasure of sleeping in his arms. But now, no guilt remained in her mind, and she stayed with him. She wondered how she had lived her entire life without knowing this feeling, the pure bliss of drifting to sleep, embraced in the arms of the one you love. Robin held her close to himself, their bodies molding perfectly into each other. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other he rested under his head. Regina laid her arm on top of Robin's and entangled their fingers. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she opened her eyes, and said in a barely audible whisper, "I love you too, Robin." _

Robin and Regina would never know that it was indeed _that_ night, not the night in the vault, that their daughter was conceived. A joining of the best of each of them, created out of the purest, truest love. And she, Hope, was the reason that her parents would have a future.


	5. Birds of a Feather

**Disclaimer: This is not a crossover, but, Robin Hood is in New York… working as a Bartender… And How I Met Your Mother was my favorite show before Once Upon a Time sooo…. **

Chapter 5: Birds of a Feather

Regina's eyes flung open. The sun was shining bright through her windows. She had indeed slept-in. For the first time in months, she actually felt rested; it's amazing what allowing yourself to dream can do. She was suddenly alarmed when she felt a presence in the room. She leaned over to see Robin sitting on the bed beside her. She gasped and quickly sat up.

"_Robin_?! What are you doing here?" She would have been happy to see him, but she was too shocked and confused in this moment.

"Regina, my love I've missed you!" He smiled at her, and leaned over to kiss her.

She pulled away, in complete disbelief this was actually happening. She stumbled to find words "Why, what, how did you get back?"

"I'm not here. Not yet, anyway."

"Then how can I see-" she reached out her hand and cupped his cheek. He shut his eyes at her touch; it had been so long, "-touch you… I don't understand." She could feel him. Smell him. Sense his warmth… Feel the love radiating from his smile. Emotion filled her voice, "come back to me, Robin…"

He looked down, placing his hand over hers on his cheek, pain evident in his voice, "I would love nothing more, my love." He looked up, tears building in his eyes, "I've tried to come back for you…" he stared her straight in the eyes, sadness now turned to frustration, "But I don't know how. This is the only way I can see you now." Regina was still entirely confused as to how all of this felt so real if it in fact wasn't. Robin took Regina's hand and removed it from his cheek. He grasped it with both hands, needing her to listen to what he would say next. "Look, there's a reason I'm here. There's something important you must know."

She looked at his eyes, studying them… amazed at how the details were exactly right. Every shade and wave of ocean blue. The honesty and love that always seemed to radiate from them. It was her Robin.

"The page I found that night, it wasn't about the past. Yes, it showed the possibility of the past… But that's not what it means."

"I'm confused," She tilted her head, "What does it mean then?"

"That page is about our future…" he let go of her hand, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He opened his hand to reveal her ring. She lost her ring the day he left, and she had always wondered what happened to it, "Our future is not torn apart. True love can overcome any curse, Regina. You just need to find it."

And with that, Regina opened her eyes, and this time, actually woke up. She sat up quickly, feeling now that it had been a dream. Despite the rush of emotion that came from seeing him for the first time since his departure, the first thing that came to her mind was her ring. She felt her finger. She was completely annoyed, yet somehow more in love with him at the same time (an emotion he often evoked from her. She didn't quite understand how someone stealing from her was so endearing, but it was with Robin Hood) "He took my ring!" her thief, of course he would do something like that. She had no idea what to make of it… Or why he did it for that matter.

_**New York: One Month Prior**_

Robin was working late that night. It was a Monday, and there were only about a half a dozen people in the entire bar. He hated when it was slow, it meant that he was alone with his thoughts. When it was busier he could get caught up in working, or deflecting young, desperate girls and give them lectures about having respect for themselves - that there was no way they'd get the kind of man they truly desired by throwing themselves at everything that moves. But not today. Until a troubled young woman came and sat in front of him at the counter. She appeared as though she completely hated her life at that moment.

"Give me the strongest thing you got." She said, not looking at him. She reminded him of his first night without Regina - completely devoid of hope, like the life was drained from her body.

"If I may, I suggest a drink you enjoy… it's more soothing for times like these."

She looked up and read his name tag. "Hmm. Robin, eh?"

He looked down at his name tag. The cursed thing. He hated that he had to wear one. Women always tried to use his name to start conversations with him… a fact he despised.

"Tell me, _Robin_, what the hell do you know about _times like these_?"

"Far too much, I'm afraid."

"Alright well, just get me a Scotch then… don't care what kind." she got her the drink and carefully placed the glass in front of her. She took a sip, and placed the glass down, not being gentle in the least bit. "So Robin… What's your story then?" she raised her glass to him before taking another sip. "Misery loves company."

"I've just," struggling to find a way to explain what happened in simple terms, he just settled with, "lost my love."

"Like she died or something?" Robin Scherbatsky asked Robin Hood. She then noticed a woman's ring on his right hand… "Is that hers?" She pointed to it.

He looked down at and touched it with his other hand, stroking it. "It's hers, yes. But she's not dead. She's just lost to me forever."

"Why is she like a war hostage in a foreign country or something?"

"No…"

"Someone threatened to murder your entire family if you stayed with her?"

"No…"

"You're schizophrenic and after you started takings meds you found out she's not a real person?"

_What the hell is schizophrenia_? "Uhh, no…"

"Is she like a serial killer with a death sentence?"

"Bloody hell! Just, no… it's, it's just really complicated, alright?"

"You wanna talk _complicated_, Robin? I'm still in love with my ex… who's engaged to a stripper… who asked me to be the Maid of Honor at their wedding. Then my other ex is dating the woman he cheated on… with me… and she knows… and I see her everyday… and I'm pretty sure she wants to murder me in my sleep." Robin Hood's eyes widened. Robin Scherbatsky slammed her drink on the counter and tilted her head, mocking him. "That's _complicated_, Robin."

"Well… That's just…" He was completely speechless.

"Look, you obviously love her. I'm gonna go on a limb and assume she's crazy about you too cause you're freaking charming as hell… Go be with her."

"It's just, it's not that simple."

"Bullshit." She stated very matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes.

Robin Hood didn't even know what to say. It had been so long since he was out-sassed. He desperately missed his sass battles with Regina… and it was almost refreshing for someone to call him out.

Her tone changed. "Look, at least one of us should get a happy ending. And I really don't ever see it happening for me…" She really did believe in that moment that she'd never be happy. It had been a rough day.

"Hey, don't say that. Life goes on, I promise you that it does." He said, hoping that maybe if he said it enough, he'd start to believe it.

She was showing her emotions now. "No… it really doesn't, Robin. Do you know how _hard it is_ to watch the person you love with someone else? I'm pretty sure there's nothing worse." Robin Hood's mind went straight to Regina. It hit him like a ton of bricks about how horrible Regina must have felt seeing him with Marian after she returned. "Knowing that they used to be yours… and that, that you never knew you could be that happy," she looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back her tears, "but then you see them with that person, smiling at them, and you feel like what you had, even though you know it meant the world to you, didn't mean anything to them if they can just move on like that." _Shit_.He mentally punched himself in the gut.

Robin Scherbatsky looked back at Robin Hood, seeing the look of horror and shock on his face. "No…wait, you… you're, you're not with another woman are you?"

He looked down, now completely ashamed that he hadn't fought harder to stay with Regina. "Well, I mean, sort of. It's my son's Mother. My love told me it was the right thing to do - to take care of her… and well, it was the right thing, at the time."

"But it's not the right thing anymore?"

He leaned on the table, resting his chin on his fists, now deep in thought, "I just…" Robin Scherbatsky leaned in closer, "I wonder if doing the right thing is supposed to make you so miserable. How can something be right if no one is happy about it?"

"This Mother… she's not happy?"

"She's happy to have her son in her life. She's happy to be taken care of but… She knows that I don't love her, I mean, not like _that_. She knows where my heart lies. And, I see it killing her… every single day."

"Hmm… maybe your situation is complicated, then, Robin…" she said as she tapped her fingers on the table. "You know what you need? This Mother, she needs a new man. Cause frankly, you're too hunky to be frowning all the time." Robin Hood laughed. He knew she wasn't flirting with him. She just seemed down to Earth and liked to speak her mind.

"You think _that_ would solve this?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, it would take care of the problem you told me about." Robin Scherbatsky sat back in her chair, "though, I'm literally not sure what to do about her being a serial killer on death road…"

**End Note: For the sake of the story, I needed someone to sass Robin Hood and get him to open up a little. It was necessary. That and Robin Scherbatsky's situation was crazy complicated at one point and the situations just work beautifully together … and her name is ROBIN! So I obviously HAD TO… don't judge me. Threw in some HIMYM humor too… I also figured some comic relief might be nice. And sorry for all the cursing in this chapter - that's kind of just how Robin Scherbatsky talks haha. It's also fine if you've never seen the show. You don't have to to understand this story.**


	6. Blind Faith

Chapter 6: Blind Faith

Regina woke up feeling even more sick than the day before. She got out of bed and immediately felt dizzy again. She tried transporting herself downstairs but this time didn't quite make it all the way. Instead she found herself at the bottom of the stairs, "Phew… that could have been messy."

She made her way to the kitchen, pondering her dreams from the night before. Well, as much as she could; she felt a mess and her head was spinning. She knew she needed to eat something. Snow had mentioned that sometimes the only thing she could eat during the early stages of her pregnancy was fruit, so Regina figured it was worth a try. She cut up various fruits she found in the fridge and ate a couple pieces. _Ok, this could work._ She was nearly finished with the bowl when a loud pound on the kitchen door made her jump. Her stomach instantly became uneasy again and she ran to the trash and vomited everything she had just eaten.

"Regina! Regina open up!" Emma pounded on the door, "I have to tell you something!"

She stood up from vomiting the only thing she'd managed to eat in almost a day, more angry at Emma than ever. She opened the door, "This _better_ be good, Swan!"

Emma let herself in without noting how furious Regina was. "I know how to break the barrier, Regina!" Emma turned around and finally took a closer look at Regina. "Oh God, Regina you… you look terrible!"

"Not eating will do that to you…" She stated, glaring at Emma.

"Well, why don't you try eating something then!"

Regina continued to glare at Emma as she pointed to the trash filled with vomit. "I was trying to… thanks to you I couldn't keep that down either."

"Ohh… uh, sorry about that…" Regina rolled her eyes, still upset. "But really, you'll want to hear this news!"

Regina sat down and plopped her head on the table, giving up on trying to eat, "What is it then, Swan?" she said with her eyes closed, clenching her stomach which was now in pain.

"Well, as I said before. I know how we can break the curse on the town line!" Regina opened her eyes, head still on the table.

"Really now? And how are we supposed to do that?" She said, very unenthusiastic.

"True love, Regina. If there's one thing I know certain, it's that True Love can break any curse."

Regina lifted her head, now intrigued by the idea, "how is that going to break the curse on the town line though? What are you thinking, Swan?"

"I'm thinking that True Love's kiss can break the curse surrounding the town."

The idea _sounded_ really dumb. So dumb it might just work though. Emma seemed to be good with those kinds of ideas. Regina thought for a moment. "You know, I think you might be on to something, Emma…"

"Do you remember how it snowed after the Snow Queen died? I believe those were the remnants of her magic. Gold himself said that magic is never destroyed, it merely changed forms. So, if we can break the barrier, I think we can find a way to clear those remnants from the town and-"

"- Marian can return with Robin and Roland!"

"Well, I mean, I was just thinking Robin but… hey, she can tag along too I guess. Never thought you liked her much."

Regina laughed. She didn't hate Marian, but she really didn't like her either. Maybe, just maybe, if she hadn't caused so much trouble she could see them getting along. But that wasn't important in the moment. She smiled, "As long as Robin comes back, I really don't care. So, about this True Love's kiss idea… what were you thinking with that?"

"I'm thinking we need one person to cross over the town line, and then the two kiss from either side, breaking the curse." Yeah. It sounded completely dumb.

"And, what happens if it doesn't work? Someone just gets trapped on the other side unnecessarily."

"I'm thinking that we'll need some people with complete faith in True Love to be crazy enough to go along with this plan…" Emma stated.

"And, who might that be?"

Emma smiled, "my parents." Yup. They were just the kind of people that would go along with something like this. Snow White was the Queen of hope speeches and "having faith in True Love."

"Alright… That works then. How exactly do you want to tell them about this though? 'Hey we're gonna need one of you to risk never coming back and being separated from each other and your newborn child forever.' I'm sure they'll jump right on board with that."

"No no no, you see, I already have that part figured out." Emma smirked, she was amazed at her own genius sometimes, "We're going to make them think that it was their idea."

_**Later, at the Charming's loft… **_

"Pregnant? Oh my goodness! You're pregnant!" Snow White squealed with joy and then grabbed Regina in a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Regina lowered her head, pain crumpling her features. Snow White must have seen the change in the former Evil Queen's demeanor for her own smile slipped. As though performing a well-rehearsed scene, Emma slipped over to Regina's side. "It's sad to think that Robin might never meet their child."

"Emma!" Snow White gasped. "Don't say such things! There is always hope!"

"Not for me, Snow… You once told me to have hope, and well, it worked for a little while but, look where we are now. Losing Robin was bad enough and now…" Regina began choking up, "and now… Now I'm going to have to raise _our_ child without him." Regina put her head down, now crying. Emma pat Regina on the shoulder and handed her a tissue, trying to comfort her.

Snow White came over and joined in on trying to comfort Regina, "No, no don't say that. We… We'll find a way to bring him back!" she took a step back, "yeah, that's what we're going to do! We're going to find a way for Robin to come back!"

Regina looked up, taking the tissue to dry the tears on her face, "it's impossible, Snow. The curse surrounding the town is just too powerful."

Snow thought for a moment and then walked over to Charming, who looked suspiciously at Snow when she took his hand and smiled, "Not more powerful than True Love."

"Whoa whoa whoa…" Charming said, then whispered to Snow, "What are you volunteering us for, here?"

She didn't say anything and just smiled at him, then looked at Emma and Regina, "we're going to break the curse with True Love's kiss!" Everyone but Snow in the room simultaneously yelled "WHAT?!"

Emma advanced towards her Mother, "You can't be serious, Mom!"

Charming glanced at Snow, "Yeah, tell me you're not serious, here."

"Oh but I am!" She looked at Charming, "I have faith in our love. We've overcome worse than this before, Charming." She smiled tenderly at him, at which he melted into a smile.

"You're right, Snow. True Love is the most powerful magic of all." He put his hand around her shoulder.

"No, I, I can't ask you to do that for me." Regina butted in, "what if it doesn't work?"

"I know it will! You just have to have faith!" Snow declared.

"I do but, what about your baby? I mean just think for a moment here." Regina stated.

"I am! But this was our idea, we're going to do it and you're not going to convince us otherwise, Regina! Everyone should get their happy ending, including you." At that Regina smiled, pretending to be happy, but in reality was starting to feel a bit guilty at how well the plan was working. Regina had always been an expert manipulator, but manipulating the ones she loved to put them in possible danger felt wrong.

Regina stood up, "thank you both," she walked over to them, "It means so much that you'd be willing to help me."

Snow smiled, "That's what family does, Regina."

They briefly discussed the plans for them all to go to the town line to break the curse. They decided that the next day would work best so that Regina would have some time to prepare to leave town, as well as learn Robin's whereabouts (which Emma and Regina already knew). After they were done, Regina and Emma left the Charming's loft. Once they shut the door Emma whispered, "Brilliant performance, Regina! I had no idea you could cry on cue like that."

"Oh, I've had plenty of practice." She wiped under her eyes to fix where her makeup had smeared and smiled, remembering all the times she'd turned on the waterworks to get her way. "Works every time." Emma laughed. Regina's smile faded as worry began to get the best of her, "You just… You had better be right about this, Swan."

Regina was touched that Snow was willing to make such a risk for her, but she was still worried what would happen if the plan didn't work. Regina really had meant everything she'd told Snow - they were real concerns, and Emma knew exactly what her Mother would say to each one of them and what would result from the conversation. Regina added, "Cause I'll kill you myself if one of them gets stuck on the other end of the town line."


	7. Losing Hope

**Note: Just quickly, regarding the last chapter - Emma is not trying to pull one over on her parents or anything; she honestly just has no doubts that the plan will work. The act in the last chapter was simply Emma's way of getting her parents on board with the plan. The only reason that Regina is feeling guilty and Emma is not, is because Regina is the only one afraid of what might happen if the plan doesn't work. Once again, huge shoutout to my amazing BETA Darley1101! **

Chapter 7: Losing Hope

Robin got off work around 3am and decided he had some thinking to do. New York didn't exactly have a forest, which was where he did his best thinking. So, in times like these he settled for Central Park. Of course it wasn't safe at this hour of night, but he didn't care. Besides he was more skilled in combat than any fool that might try to mess with him. Everything that his new friend from the bar said that night was racing through in his mind. _You obviously love her/she loves you/go be with her/at least one of us should be happy/ _She was right_. _ He twisted Regina's ring on his finger – if he was to never see her again, he at least wanted something to remember her by, and given the timing, this was the best thing he could do. He just prayed he'd see the day that she would smack him for taking it.

Robin thought back to the time when he'd ended things with Regina, and how at that point he thought he knew what being miserable without her felt like. That was nothing compared to this. That was nothing compared to finally telling her that he chose her, and seeing the happiness and love in her eyes, only to watch it be replaced with pain and disappointment again in a matter of minutes. It was nothing compared to the pain of letting go of her hand over the town line, and literally watching as she faded from his life. The worst part about it all was that he knew she loved him. He knew how happy he made her, and even though he was miserable, he felt a pain in his heart for her as well.

Robin raised her ring to his lips, closing his eyes as a tear escaped, "I'm so sorry Regina… I'm so sorry for letting you go without a fight." He said as the tears began to flow freely, "Regina… wherever you are my love, I swear to you… I, I swear that if I see you again, no matter what happens, no matter what challenges we might face, I don't care… I'll never let go of you again." He sat there in silence for a few minutes as these words repeated in his head, until his own words that he'd told Regina so many times came to mind: _We all get a second chance, you just have to open your eyes to see it._ He had been the one to always telling Regina to never give up hope, to never stop fighting – maybe it was time he took his own advice.

"What the hell are you doing, Robin?!" He asked himself. He couldn't just sit there and hope she'd find him one day. No, he at least had to try. Love had to be fought for, and even if he were to never see her again, he was going to die knowing in his heart that he did everything he could. Robin quickly left the park and waved down the first taxi he saw.

He jumped into the taxi, "Take me to the train station," the taxi driver nodded his head and they set off towards Grand Central Station, "I need to get to Maine."

_**Storybrooke: Present Day**_

It had been a long day of preparation for the trip the following day. Regina still hadn't managed to eat anything and couldn't remember the last time that she felt this horrible. But now it was time to try and get some sleep. Regina approached the stairs, which she now despised, and decided to take the easier approach. She flung her hands to bring herself to her room but instead fell mid-way up the stairs. She didn't have the chance nor the strength to catch herself. Regina tumbled down the stairs, completely limp, feeling each step pound against her body. When she reached the bottom she head struck on the last step. She lay there a couple minutes, completely paralyzed by the shock. Time appeared to slow down as she felt the room spin and fear for her child's life overcame her. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her body, jolting her out of her daze as she screamed in pain. She looked down and began to see blood flowing from under her skirt, a lot, and it was spreading quickly across the floor as she began to feel the consciousness leave her body.

"No, no please, stay with me…" She whispered to her unborn child, begging. She fought as hard as she could to stay awake, "_Please be okay… please be okay." _

"Mom!" Henry yelled from the other room as soon as he heard Regina scream. He ran as fast as he could and knelt beside Regina on the floor next to a pile of blood. Tears were blinding her vision; she didn't notice Henry.

"Stay with me, stay with me!" she repeated over and over again, clenching her stomach. Just then, the sharp pain ceased, "please… don't leave me… we're…we're so close…." She whispered to her baby.

Henry put his hand on his Mother's shoulder, "I'm right here, Mom! Mom can you hear me?! What's happening?!" Henry was panicking even more when Regina failed to notice him. Finally after a couple moments, she saw Henry as her vision began to fade to black and the only thing she could hear was a deafening ringing sound.

She reached for him and grabbed his arm, "Get me to the hospital…" she struggled to whisper as her eyes began to close, "I can't lose the baby…" and with that, she lost consciousness.


	8. Like Mother

Chapter 8: Like Mother

Regina awoke inside a small hospital room. She was attached to an IV and had a few bandages from some minor injuries she must have obtained from the fall. Then there was Henry sleeping next to her. He sat on a chair beside her, resting his head on her bed, holding her hand. She smiled tenderly at the thought of him staying with her. She wondered how long she had been knocked out. She removed her hand and brushed it over his head and he began to stir.

"Mom…" Henry looked up, sleep still in his eyes until it dawned on him that Regina was awake, "Mom! You're okay!" He reached up to hug her. "I was so worried!" he said as he hugged her tighter.

She caressed the back of his head, "I'm sorry, Henry, I'm okay now, thanks to you."

Henry smiled, which quickly faded to concern as he remembered what she'd said before losing consciousness, "So, what you said before... about a baby? "

Regina hadn't exactly wanted him to know yet, and now especially that she didn't even know if she still would be having one. Just then, Dr. Whale entered the room carrying a clipboard. "I see you're awake. How are you feeling, Miss Mills?"

"Fine, I'm fine." Regina said quickly, not really caring how she was doing, she needed to know if the baby was alright, "How is uh."

"The baby?" Dr. Whale asked. Regina nodded, previously unsure if he knew.

"That was a nasty fall you had there, Regina. You lost a lot of blood and your body went into shock." Regina's heart nearly stopped at his pause. It was only a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity as her mind began racing in panic. "I truly do not understand how-" _how what?! Just say it already! _"-there was no harm to your baby." He stood there, completely stumped, "Nothing at all." Regina let out a huge sigh of relief; she could breathe again, "I think you have a little fighter there," Dr. Whale smiled, "Just like their Mother it seems. You're going to be just fine as well. Although, I would rest up until tomorrow, just to be safe."

Regina was amazed that even though this baby was barely two months along, it already bore similar traits to her. How thankful she was for that, especially now. Leave it to her child to survive something that was _supposed_ to kill him, or her, or whatever the baby was. Her heart smiled just thinking about what other traits this baby might have, especially the ones that would be like that of Robin.

"Regina!" Snow White's voice called from the doorway. She hurried over and grabbed a seat next to Henry. She took Regina's hand, "I'm so glad you're alright. You had us all so worried."

"I uh… how long have I been out?"

"Just the night. You had lost so much blood when we found you, Regina… we thought for sure that the baby—"

"Is just fine," Regina placed her hand where the baby was growing inside her.

Snow White smiled, squeezing Regina's hand. "Henry, would you leave us for just a moment?" Henry nodded and stood up to leave.

"I'm going to be right out here, Mom, alright?"

"Alright," Regina replied. Henry leaned over and kissed Regina's forehead and headed for the door, glancing once more before leaving, just to make sure she was still okay.

"I'm alright now Henry, it's okay." Regina assured Henry. He silently nodded and left for the waiting room.

Once Henry was out of ear range, Regina whispered, "Look, Snow, I, I can't let you and Charming do this for me, break the curse I mean. I can't bear the thought of what would happen if it doesn't work." Regina hadn't stopped worrying about the plan, and finally had decided she couldn't let Snow White and Charming take such a risk for her.

"Regina," Snow White looked Regina in the eyes and took a deep breathe. "For _so_ _long_, all I wanted was for you to find yourself again… for you to be the person I always believed you were capable of being. For you to be the _hero_ I always knew you were capable of being. And now, now I've seen you become that person. I've seen you fight for _good_, and do the right thing, even when it meant personal loss. And then Robin Hood. Regina, I have never seen you as happy as you are when you're with him, nor so devastated as when he left. And now you have someone else's life to worry about as well. That baby is going to need their Father."Snow White paused, noting the tears building in Regina's eyes, "And I think you need him too. You can't convince me not to help you find Robin, Regina. Because I'm going to."

"But… but what about your baby? And Charming?"

Snow White looked down, "Regina, I," she struggled to find a way to put what she was going to say next. Even though it was so long ago, Snow White had never forgotten, and the guilt still ate at her sometimes, "however you may see it now, I was the reason you lost Daniel, Regina." tears began to build in her eyes as she thought about the pain her actions brought Regina, "please," she squeezed Regina's hand tighter, "let me be one of the reasons you find Robin."

Regina reached over and hugged Snow White. She had no other words to say other than, "Thank you."

"But, when you _do_ find Robin, I want you to promise me one thing." Snow White said as she pulled back from the hug, taking on a more serious tone.

"Anything."

"Stop letting him go. Stop thinking that you don't deserve to be happy, that you don't deserve to have something good because of your past. There are times when True Love needs to be fought for. There's always going to be obstacles, Regina. So, _when_ you find each other again, because you will find each other again… stop letting him go. Stop so easily accepting every reason why it work out—stop denying what you've always known, Regina."

Regina couldn't seem to find words to say. Snow White was right. She was always right, and her words had penetrated down to her very soul. "Here," Snow White said, breaking the silence, "I brought you something." she released Regina's hand and reached into her purse, producing a necklace that appeared to be from the Enchanted Forest. She let the necklace dangle over Regina for a moment, then a huge smile crept onto her face. "When you see Robin again, make sure to tell him that you're having a girl."

**Storybrooke: One month prior **

Robin knew the road to Storybrooke well, even though it "technically" wasn't there anymore. There was no way he could forget the long journey he'd endured the day he left. He must have memorized every tree, every bend in the road because the journey felt like an eternity. He couldn't see the town line, but he knew exactly where it was. He approached it with caution, unsure of what would happen if he tried crossing. He knew that before he crossed over he could see the sign for Storybrooke, but from this end all that was visible was merely a long stretch of road. He decided to test it. Robin picked up a rock and tossed it over where the line should be and simply saw it fly into the road. "Hmm…" He said to himself.

Robin decided it best to not investigate further that day and instead return a week from then to check again, just in case something had changed. He returned the next week, and the week after that, testing the line each time by tossing something over, only to see nothing had changed. However, the fourth time he returned with a different plan of action. True Love always seemed to be an admirable foe to any curse he'd witnessed. So this time, Robin decided to test that from this side. He approached the line with a letter to Regina and a covering to shield it from the weather. Robin wrapped the letter securely around an arrow to be sure it wouldn't fall off. "Please work." Robin said as he held up his bow and aimed, ready to shoot, "make it to Regina." With that he released the arrow and watched it closely. A moment later it disappeared from front to back into thin air. However, Robin could hear it hit the tree he'd aimed for. "Yes!" He'd been correct in his thinking, because the fact that he couldn't see it anymore could only mean one thing – the arrow with Robin's letter had indeed made it across the town line, and rested securely on a tree, in Storybrooke.

**Endnote: This is an add-on. It's completely optional to read as you won't lose any important details if you choose not to read it. (my sincerest apologies if this sucks) **

_Henry's POV when he found Regina: _

Henry didn't notice Regina come home. It had been a long day and he was relaxing playing video games in the living room, headphones in. Regina hated the loud, bothersome noises that the game produced, especially now that she had been more on edge. So, headphones were an easy solution. Suddenly Henry heard a loud thud, which he assumed was from the game, but didn't quite sound like something that would happen in the game. He removed the headphones, "Mom? Are you home?" There was no response. Henry put one headphone back in, just in case. A few minutes later he heard his Mom scream and he jumped to his feet. "Mom!" He ran to the stairs to find Regina curled up on the ground in a pool of blood, screaming in pain.

Henry knelt down beside her, panic washing over him; he'd never seen her like this, ever. She'd endured many things, but never once had he heard her scream. And the blood. It was everywhere. There was so much he wondered if she was bleeding to death. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to shake off whatever fears he might be having to try to help his Mother. "Mom! Mom can you hear me?" Henry shook her shoulders, desperately trying to get a response from her.

"Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me." Regina began repeated as she clenched her stomach. "please… don't leave me… we're… we're so close…"

Henry assumed his Mom had finally noticed his presence, but she still hadn't turned to face him. He placed his hand on his Mom's shoulder, trying to assure her, "I'm right here, Mom! Mom can you hear me? What's happening?" Still nothing. Regina suddenly became still, making it appear as though the pain had stopped, but now her eyes began to flutter. She finally looked up to see Henry kneeling beside her.

Regina grabbed his arm so firm it almost hurt him, "Get me to the hospital," her grip slowly loosened, "I can't lose the baby…" she released him and went limp, her head and arm dropping to the floor.

"Mom?" Henry gently shook her, "Mom!" Henry's vision began to be blinded by tears as he tried to speak between sobs, "Mom!" He reached down to hold her, feeling her body completely limp at his touch. "Please be okay Mom! I can't lose you…" Henry was interrupted by hearing Regina's phone vibrate. It was Snow White. Henry remembered his Mother's request to get her to the hospital.

Henry grabbed the phone from Regina's coat pocked, "Hi, Regina! Just calling to—" Snow White began before Henry butted in.

"Something happened to Mom! She's unconscious and there's blood everywhere and she's not waking up and I think she fell down the stairs and."

"Whoa Henry, slow down! We're on our way, call an ambulance in case they get there before us!"

"Okay, _hurry_!"

It was like a nightmare – a horrific nightmare that he was just waiting to wake up from. Snow White, Charming, and Emma arrived just moments before the ambulance. Snow White nearly passed out from the sight of blood covering the floor. Henry refused to be comforted, nor leave Regina's side even when the paramedics transferred her to the ambulance. Emma and Henry traveled in the ambulance, while Snow White and Charming followed close behind in the car. Henry was in a frenzy the entire way to the hospital, and especially after Dr. Whale and the nurses wouldn't let him come in while they examined her to asses her condition. Henry refused to leave the hospital, so Snow White decided that she'd stay with him while everyone else went home: she too wanted to be there for when Regina finally woke up. Once Dr. Whale was through, he allowed Snow White and Henry into the room where Regina laid sleeping attached to an IV. Snow White eventually fell asleep on a chair in the corner of the room, while Henry had pulled one up next to Regina's bed.


	9. Fire and Ice

**Note: A whole bunch of stuff is about to go down so, hold onto your hats, people. This chapter is gonna be a bit longer than the others so, hope you enjoy!**

**Also, thank you guys SO MUCH for all of your reviews! The positive feedback has been overwhelming – I'm so happy that you all are enjoying this story, because I certainly am enjoying writing it! **

**So, without further ado… **

Chapter 9: Fire and Ice

Robin made the journey back to New York in high spirits. The arrow had made it across the town line into Storybrooke, and now Robin was certain he was going to see Regina again. The entire journey back, his mind was filled with plans as to what he might say, and what he and Regina might do, when reunited. He just prayed that she hadn't given up, that she would find his letter sooner than later. But until that happened, he was going to keep returning to the line every Tuesday, just as he had told her he would in the letter, until they found a way back to each other. All she had to do was find it, then they'd be halfway there. Maybe he'd try shooting something further next time he returned. These thoughts circled in his head the entire journey home, until he reached his apartment. It was now about 10pm, around the time he'd always returned from his trip to Storybrooke. It worked well because he'd be gone the whole day, and Marian and Roland would already be asleep by the time he came home so he could avoid questions. But not today.

"Where have you been, Robin?" Marian asked as Robin tried to quietly sneak in, like the stealthy thief he was. Marian didn't turn to face him, she simply stared straight ahead, her side to him, the living room lit up by a sole lamp.

Despite everything, Marian knew Robin better than almost anyone, even Regina in many ways simply from time spent with him, then of course being married to him. This however, was dangerous when there weren't exactly pleasant feelings between two people. You know how to mess with them better than anyone else, get inside their head effortlessly. She knew when he was up to something without him ever saying a word. "I'd tell you but, judging from your tone I feel like you already know." said Robin as he took a step closer. Marian remained still, staring at a spot on the wall so intensely you'd think she would burn a hole in it. Robin and Marian hadn't spoken in days. They barely spoke anymore, partially because their schedules were so different, partially because they didn't have much to say to each other anymore. Robin worked nights and slept through most of the morning and afternoon, while Marian took care of Roland and the apartment during the day.

Without a word, Marian knew something had changed. Robin had stopped trying to make things work with her. That, and he seemed happier. She even caught a glimpse of a smile every so often.

Marian pulled a train ticket out of her pocket and turned to him, her expression completely blank. "Maine?" She held up the ticket. "I found it while doing laundry. That's where you've been going when you disappear?"

Robin didn't see any use of lying to her, not when she already knew, "Yes. For the past several weeks." He admitted as he sat in the chair next to the couch.

"Did you find her?"

"No."

"The curse on the line remains?"

"For the time being, yes."

"And when it's broken? What will you do?" _When? How optimistic she was,_ Robin thought.

"I uh… I haven't decided." He lied. He had decided. He was going to find a way to be with Regina, no matter what. Now, what would happen as far as Roland and Marian, no, that he didn't know. So his statement wasn't entirely false.

Marian turned in her seat to face Robin, her emotional state becoming clear now. To Robin's surprise, she didn't seem upset. She looked almost as if, "You should go be with her, Robin."

Robin was completely taken aback. Had that really just come out of Marian's mouth? The woman who'd scolded him the first night she'd arrived in Storybrooke for even going near "_that woman_" was now encouraging him to be with her? "Wait… _what_?"

"You heard correctly. I think you should be with her. I think we both know that this," she motioned between the two of them, "isn't working. There's no use being miserable trying anymore."

"Marian, it hasn't been miserab—"

"—yes. It has. And not just for you, either." Robin was stumped. Was this really coming out of Marian's mouth? "This isn't a marriage, Robin, not anymore." Robin sighed. She was right. "So when the curse is broken, I think you should go. We'd both be better off leading different lives."

"And what about Roland? Will we all return to Storybrooke together?"

"I won't be returning with you." Marian responded quickly. "Well, not yet anyway."

Robin was now entirely confused. If the curse broke, it would mean she could come back safely. "What about Roland?" He repeated.

"He'll go with you. And I'll come and see him often. Then maybe he can come and stay with me for a while as well." It wasn't an easy thing to figure out, and it had been wracking Marian's brain for days. "I believe it's called co-parenting." Robin's eyes widened. Marian had done her research. "And as far as our marriage, I think the proper term for that would be called a divorce." _Where the hell did she learn all this from? _Robin thought. He knew what a divorce was, he just wasn't aware that she did. Noting the shocked look on Robin's face, Marian continued, "I've been to the library with Roland recently, there's a lot to be learned from such places."

"Yes, I, I know what those terms mean, but, why would you stay here, when you could make things much simpler by living near Roland and I?"

Marian turned her head back to facing the wall. "My reasons are my own. I don't know if I shall join you and Roland in Storybrooke at a later time. But, for now, I'd like to see what this city has to offer." Marian had her reasons alright. There was much that Robin didn't know. "Besides, who's to say it would even be safe for me to return anyways. I could die just by crossing over the line, and I don't want to test that theory."

"But Marian—"

"—don't, Robin." She'd been silent long enough. It was her turn to speak. She looked back at him, her eyes now full of compassion as she took his hands in hers, "Robin of Locksley, I release you of your vow to me. I don't want you to feel guilt for following your heart. You have a good heart, Robin, and it has never steered you wrong. I want you to let it continue to lead you, without guilt. And right now, that's to Regina." Robin's eyes began to fill with tears at her words. Marian released one of her hands and lay it on his cheek, her voice breaking as she continued, "I love you, Robin… I always will. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for someone is to release them, to let them be happy, even if it's not with you. Sometimes there's more to love than just being together." She let go of him, "I want you to be happy. And seeing you these past months, seeing the pain in your eyes, knowing that it was my fault…"

"No, Marian don't say that."

"But it is. So, stop worrying about me." Marian smiled through her tears, genuinely smiled, something that Robin hadn't seen in a long, long time, "I'm going to be alright, Robin. I _promise_ you this." Marian was… happy? Robin knew there was a change in him, he had his livelihood back. Hope had given him the oxygen he so desperately needed. But Marian, what had changed with her? What gave her the strength to let him go? What caused her to take a hold of her life?

Anthony. Anthony happened to her life. Of course Robin didn't know the things Marian had been up to while he was asleep a good portion of the day, nor after he went to work in the early evenings. Granted, Marian had only seen Anthony maybe 4 times since they first met, but it was enough. It was enough to spark an interest that she just couldn't put down. And after finally having an entire conversation with him a few days prior, she was more sure than ever that the attraction was mutual. They'd run into each other several times in the drug store, striking up small talk until he finally asked her if she'd take a walk with him in Central Park. They talked for hours, sharing their life stories (at least the parts that Marian knew how to put in modern-day terms). It was that day that she realized she was done trying to hold onto the past, and desired to see what good things the future might have for her. She didn't know if things would work out with Anthony, but she'd never forgive herself if she didn't at least give it a chance. Anthony was different than anyone she'd ever met. He was fun. He made her laugh, and feel like she was walking on air, like nothing else mattered when she was with him. And his smile. Oh his smile, was the most warm, genuine thing she had ever seen, and the warmth which radiated from it never failed to melt her heart.

_**Storybrooke: one day later**_

Emma, Regina, Henry, and the Charmings all approached the town line with caution. It was finally time to break that curse, or try, anyway. Regina and Emma both had suitcases in Regina's car, just in case they'd be leaving. Emma and Regina had decided it'd be best if just they went; Emma would help Regina find her way to Robin in New York and then they'd go from there.

Snow White broke the silence, "Are you guys ready?"

"I'm ready." Charming responded. "Let's break this curse."

"Okay, so… who's going to be the one crossing the line then?" Emma asked, pointing to the red line before them.

"I'm going to—" Charming began, until he was so rudely interrupted by his wife.

"No, I'm going to." Snow White stated.

"Snow, no! If anyone it should be Charming, and if anything happens, it'll be better for him to be the one stuck on the other end until we find another solution." Regina insisted.

Snow White just smiled, she had no doubts in her mind, "But it's _going to work,_ Regina. Stop thinking so much."

Henry sat back by his Mom's car, listening to the conversation when something caught his eye.

"Look, Snow, it should be Charming." Regina insisted, Charming silently shaking his head in agreement. "The Snow Queen's magic has been unpredictable thus far and."

"Mom! Mom! Get over here! I found something!" Henry yelled.

Everyone turned around to see Henry carrying an arrow. "I think this is from Robin! I think this arrow made it across the town line from the other side!" Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Give me that!" Regina took the arrow from Henry in disbelief. As she took the arrow she noticed that there was a letter tightly wrapped around it. "The hell…" she whispered under her breathe. Regina struggled for a moment to carefully unwrap the letter, and unrolled it, shocked to see it was indeed from Robin. "It is from Robin!" Regina read as quickly as she could, almost shaking from excitement, and happiness, and relief and so many other emotions that were flooding over her at reading his words. Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks once she read about how he had been to the line, without fail, every Tuesday for the past 4 weeks. "He was here!" She laughed through her tears, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at the thought that he had been just miles away from her the day before, "Robin was here! He shot this letter through just yesterday!" Curse Dr. Whale for making Regina "rest up" and "regain her strength" because she apparently "lost a lot of blood" blah blah blah. Regina looked up from the letter to everyone staring at her in amazement. "It's going to work. True Love can cross the barrier."

"Well what else does it say?" Emma butted in.

Regina's eyes widened, "Lots! But that's not important right now. Right now we need to get to New York!" She pointed to the letter, "He told me where to find him!" Regina said with a massive smile on her face.

"Well then there's no time to lose!" Snow White said, motioning to the town line.

Everyone approached the line, Snow White and Charming holding hands. "Remember what I told you, alright? Hold onto me and I'll gently lead you across. Once you're across hold still, and then I'll kiss you." Charming repeated to Snow White. Snow White nodded and turned with her back to the line and grabbed onto Charming's arms. They slowly backed up over the line, the barrier rippling like water at their motion. Once Snow White had stepped over the line, Charming bent down, found her lips and kissed her. Like so many times before, a blast of rainbow prisms radiated from their lips, almost knocking everyone down with the force that was released. Moments later they could see the barrier over the town like a snow globe that had just been cracked. Within seconds it shattered into snowflakes, and the next moment the entire ground turned white as the remnants of the Snow Queen's magic became visible. What happened next, however, no one could have anticipated. It started snowing _upward_.

"Her magic, it's leaving!" Emma exclaimed. The snow quickly shot towards the sky and collected into one giant snowflake. Once all the snow appeared to gather, the snowflake scattered across the sky in every direction but down; it was truly a spectacular sight to behold. Snow White and Charming were beaming with joy, even though they already knew their love was strong enough to break the curse.

Henry was the first to speak after the snow finally disappeared. "It worked!" Henry hugged Regina with a huge smile on his face. "Now, go find Robin Hood!" Regina smiled and hugged Henry tighter.

"Are you ready, Regina?" Emma asked, motioning to the car.

Regina nodded, "Let's bring him home."

**Endnote: I read this review for the last chapter and just fell in love with the idea. It doesn't really flow with the story to go back to it, so I've added it to the end of chapter 8 for whoever would like to read about Henry's POV when he found Regina after she had fallen down the stairs. **


	10. New York Serenade

**Note: I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer to publish - it's just quite important and I really wanted it to be perfect. Obviously this is no replacement for Sean and Lana's flawless acting on the show, but I do hope you'll enjoy it all the same. Oh, and for those of you who don't know, Jennifer Morrison (Emma) was on How I Met Your Mother for a while…so, yeah, I couldn't resist. **

Chapter 10: New York Serenade

"Okay, this is it," Emma put her hand on Regina's shoulder as they approached the bar where Robin worked, "Are you ready?" Regina had suddenly become uneasy moments before. The entire drive to New York she had practically been bursting with anticipation, restless for the time to pass. But now she almost looked as though she was going to pass out.

Regina turned to Emma, terrified, "wha… what am I supposed to say?" her heart began racing, "and the baby? When am I supposed to tell him about that?"

"Regina, look, as long as you don't wait ten years until he accidentally meets the kid, I'm sure it'll be just fine!"

It was completely illogical of course, but Regina was afraid. Afraid that seeing him again wouldn't be everything she'd hoped. Afraid that his feelings dimmed (even though his letter made it clear that they hadn't), afraid how he'd take the news about their baby. She was incredibly vulnerable, terrified, nervous, almost ready to turn around and leave. What Emma did next was something that Regina had so desperately needed a certain blonde to do decades before.

"But, but what about—" Regina began.

Emma grabbed Regina's shoulders, almost shaking her, staring her straight in the eyes, "Regina, _shut up_ and get in there!" she opened the door to the bar and shoved Regina inside.

…

Thankfully it was a slow Thursday at the bar. Robin was cleaning the counter, engaged in conversation.

"… so _now_, they're not getting married anymore! I feel bad, but I can't help but feel relieved as well." Robin Scherbatsky set her drink down, noting her friend not really listening. She cleared her throat and brought him out of his thoughts. "What's on your mind, Robin?" She asked. "You never told me about your trip the other day."

He stopped cleaning the counter, "Right. I'm sorry, just, I've been distracted you could say."

Robin Scherbatsky leaned in closer. "Well, did Regina at least get your letter?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You know, I have this funny feeling that she did." Of course, even if Regina did get the letter, who's to say when they'd find a way to break the curse, or hell, if things had changed for her— there was no real way for him to know.

Robin didn't quite have time to finish his thoughts before he heard a familiar voice nearly yell_ shut up and get in there_ followed by Regina almost stumbling into the bar.

Wait.

_Regina_?! Could it really be her – already? Apparently Robin Scherbatsky had been speaking when she noticed Robin Hood wasn't paying attention again and was staring past her towards the door.

Breathless, he barely managed to mutter, "Regina."

…

"Emma wait—" Regina never got the chance to finish before Emma shoved her inside the nearly empty bar. She struggled to catch herself from being so rudely shoved inside, but in reality Regina was a bit thankful, not knowing how long she would have remained outside, overthinking the situation as she so often did. There weren't many people in the bar, but Regina's mind was in complete frenzy as her eyes searched frantically for Robin. She didn't see him, but she heard him breathlessly mutter her name. Her heart sank to her stomach as she turned to where she'd had heard his voice. Regina gasped for air as relief washed over her, feeling as though she could breathe for the first time since he left. "Robin."

…

Feeling it'd take too long to go the proper way around, Robin Hood leapt over the bar counter and all but sprinted to Regina and gathered her in his arms, holding her as close to him as humanly possible, as he breathed in her presence. Regina nearly stumbled from the impact, but she'd almost grown accustomed to him crashing into her. She didn't need to find her footing though as Robin nearly lifted her. She brought her arms around to his back and buried her head in his chest, her sobs making it impossible to do anything but whisper his name. They hadn't previously known it was possible for ones heart to stop, as well as race all at the same time. For you to cry so much when you've actually never been happier. Nor to feel such intensity flow through your body yet not feel pain.

Robin pulled back, his hands reaching immediately for her face as he cupped her cheeks, tears freely flowing down his face, "You're here," he examined her face, almost as if to make sure she was really there. Regina couldn't seem to get words out so she merely nodded, almost laughing in response. Regina barely got the chance to finish before Robin pulled her in to kiss her.

…

"I'm just gonna uh, excuse myself then…" Robin Scherbatsky quietly exited, not being able to wipe the huge smile off her face from what she'd just witnessed. On her way out she ran into a blonde who was watching the reunion from the outside.

"You must be Emma." Emma turned to face her.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Sorry, uh, I'm a friend of Robin's. He mentioned you.." Emma tilted her head, confused. Of course there'd been other things Robin Hood had told her about Emma, but the first thing she seemed to remember was. "Henry's other Mom."

"Oh!" Emma laughed. "Yeah, that."

Robin examined the blonde more closely, "You know, you look _really_ familiar."

"Well, I did live here for a year."

"Hmm, yeah, that must be it. How long are you in town?"

"Hopefully just a couple of days, or however long it takes," Emma motioned to Robin and Regina inside the bar, "_them_ to figure out what they're gonna do."

Robin Scherbatsky nodded. "So what are your plans while you're here?"

"Oh, I hadn't quite figured that out. The trip was sorta last minute."

"Well, I was just going to meet some friends at MacLaren's, care to join?"

"Yeah," Emma took one last glance at Robin Hood and Regina inside, completely lost in each other, then turned back to Robin, "That sounds great actually."

…

Central Park at dusk was certainly a sight to behold. Robin led Regina to his favorite spot, which most resembled the forest of course. From there, it almost didn't look like you were in a city. You could look up and see the sky through the blanket of trees. It was quiet, secluded. He'd come there so many times, alone, to think. It was where he'd come to his senses to fight for Regina. Where he'd come many nights when he needed to clear his head, to somehow find the strength to go another day without her. But now, she was here with him, wrapped securely in his embrace.

Regina sank into his arms, he kissed the top of her head.

"Regina," she lifted her head, with a soft smile at hearing him speak her name.

His features melted, almost causing him to forget his original thought. Hell. It could wait. He could never resist kissing her smile, cause in doing so he knew it only caused it to grow. He kissed her gently, slowly, wanting to savor every beautiful moment of being in her presence again. Their lips parted, but their foreheads remained against each other. Robin raised his hand to cup Regina's cheek, "I've missed you," he breathed. Regina opened her eyes to see Robin inches from her, he looked as though he was at peace for the first time in a long time. She felt the same. Nothing was right when they were apart. As she pulled her head back, Robin's eyes opened, searching her eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Regina, there's something I need to tell you."

"There's something I need to tell you as well." The baby. Well, she didn't quite know when the right time would come, so maybe the sooner, the better. But maybe she'd hear what he had to say before they got into that. "Maybe you should go first though."

"Well, first," Robin pulled Regina's ring from his coat pocket, at which she laughed, seeing he indeed had taken it. "At the time I merely wanted something to remember you by… But." He paused, taking her hand, he placed it in her palm, and gently closed her hand, "it ended up being so much more than that. Part of me hoped that when I took it, I would have the chance to give it back to you. And my holding onto it, it helped me hold onto hope, even in my darkest times. But then here," he motioned to their surroundings, "that hope became something more. It became something that I refused to let just happen; it became something I knew I needed to fight for. You, _us_, became something I knew I needed to fight for. And I swore to myself, that if I ever saw you again, Regina, that I would fight, that I would never let go of you again.

"And if you'll let me, I wish to spend the rest of our lives never letting you go. Showing you that hope is only the start. That love must be fought for, and that I'll never stop fighting for you, standing by you, beside you, it doesn't matter, as long as I'm with you.

"That being said," Regina gasped when Robin produced another ring from his pocket, "Will you marry me?"


	11. SWAN!

**Note: I'm terribly sorry for the delay in updating. It's been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. That and this chapter was a bit complicated for me to write. That being said, huge shout out to my friend Aldysgal for her help with a certain (cough cough) section (cough cough) of this chapter. Also thank you always to my amazing BETA Darly1101 3 this story absolutely wouldn't be the same without you.**

**Hope you enjoy! (hopefully you all know Regina well enough for the end of the last chapter to not be too much of a cliffhanger)**

Chapter 11: SWAN!

"Will you marry me?"

_Yes! Yes yes yes! _Were the only words running through her mind, but she'd suddenly found herself unable to breath or speak. "I…"

"I know, it's soon, but I—"

"Yes," she finally managed to get out, breathless, "yes." Robin let out a sigh of relief, followed by a massive smile which was quickly interrupted by Regina's lips. Robin chuckled at her enthusiasm, enthralled to know that she wanted this as much as he did.

...

"Do you have any idea," Robin whispered, as he pushed Regina against the wall of the hotel room, kicking the door shut with his foot. "How much," he pressed forward, caressing her neck with his lips, "I've missed you?" he mustered between heavy breaths.

Regina tightened her grip on Robin's shoulders, her voice low, "Mmm, why don't you show me?" She purred.

Robin raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of mischief and desire, "gladly."

His eyes locked on hers, his arms snaked around her bottom as he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the bed. Tossing her onto the soft mattress, he crawled upward, propping himself on top of her as he crashed his lips into hers.

Regina's leg slid over his, moving slowly upward to wrap around Robin's waist, pulling him down closer.

Robin shifted, flipping them over, as his hands began tearing at Regina's jacket. Once he's freed her from the bulky material, he threw it across the room. Pulling himself upward, his mouth went for her neck once more, nipping and suckling at her pulse point.

A soft moan escaping her, Regina rolled them over once more, as her frantic hands tore at Robin's jacket, pulling it down his arms until it fell to the floor beside the bed. Finding the hem of his shirt, her fingers slipped beneath the soft cotton to the warm skin beneath it.

Robin's hands moved slowly down Regina's back, until he'd reached the bottom of her shirt. Sliding his hands beneath the hem of the silky material, he slowly worked it upwards.

Before Robin could free her from the bothersome blouse, the room flooded with light.

Emma barged in, stopping dead in her tracks as she noticed what she'd interrupted.

Robin and Regina quickly removed themselves from each other, trying to catch their breath, to no avail. Regina's shirt was halfway up her torso, with her hair a mess. Robin's shirt was twisted, and his hair also a mess from their activities just moments before.

"Dammit Swan!" Regina exclaimed when she finally caught her breath, "What the hell is so important that it couldn't wait?"

Emma momentarily felt embarrassed, but quickly moved past it, as there were more important things to worry about.

"It's Henry." Her hand shaking, Emma produced her cell and began to play a voicemail. Regina's eyes shot wide open when she recognized the woman's voice. Maleficent.

"Hello old friend." Regina stood and grabbed the phone from Emma, panic washing over her. The voicemail was sent from Henry's phone. Maleficent laughed. "How foolish of you to leave your little town completely defenseless." Emma and Regina locked eyes. They were the only two practitioners of magic left in the town with Rumpelstiltskin and the fairies being gone. There was no way they'd stand a chance against Maleficent without magic. "Well, they put up a valiant effort yes, but it still felt far too easy to unarm them. However, that's beside the point. I was terribly disappointed to find you gone, my dear. Be here by sundown tomorrow, or I'm going to start killing people, one by one. Starting with your boy."

Regina nearly shoved the phone at Emma, and frantically started to collect her things from the room. "We need to get back. _Now_." Emma nodded, and left for her room to the same.

The door shut and Regina went to turn on the light. Running in and out of the bathroom, back and forth from the bed grabbing her things as quickly as possible. "One moment." She spoke as she threw her belongings in her suitcase. "I can't have _one moment_ of peace with you without hell breaking lose to ruin it." She raised her eyes to Robin, now choking up, "and _Henry_. She has Henry. That call was from his phone."

Robin pulled Regina into his arms, one hand instinctly entangling itself in her hair. "Regina. Stop thinking." She pulled back to look at him, searching his eyes, wondering how they were full of such peace in a moment like this. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, "We're going to figure this out. We're going back. He's going to be alright." Truly, it was a time to panic. But honestly Robin was just happy to have Regina back in his arms, and nothing was going to ruin that for him. To Robin's dismay, Regina untangled herself from him.

"No, no I can't have you coming back with me now." She faced her back to him, "She has it out for me, Robin. You have _no idea_ what I've done to her."

Robin grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face him, "No, Regina. I'm not about to let you go again." He reached up to cup her cheeks, bringing her head up to look at him in the eyes. "I'm afraid you're not getting rid of me again that easily." Regina gave a slight smile, which quickly faded as tears began to fill her eyes.

"But you don't know her, Robin. She'll." She paused. Suddenly becoming breathless, not wanting to even think about this possibility. She knew that if Maleficent found out about her and Robin, it wouldn't end well. She would use Robin against her. But of course Regina's mind could only imagine the worst case scenario. She shook her head, "She'll kill you."

"And what if she tries to kill you?" Robin grabbed his coat from the floor and put it back on. Regina tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. Before she could speak another word Robin pulled her in, kissing her slowly, passionately. Their lips parted, and Robin whispered, "I'm coming." before stealing one more brief kiss. Regina's features melted. Robin picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. She shook her head at his nerve, but appreciated it all them same. For a moment, Regina stood there, watching Robin walk towards the door holding her suitcase. How did he do it? Really, how is it that he could piss her off by not listening to her, yet that very same thing melt her heart. He never really listened to her when she told him to stay away, though deep down, she appreciated that.

Robin reached the door and looked back at Regina, smiling. He walked back to her, set the suitcase down and drew her in once more, kissing her forehead, "let's go home."

...

"Alright, if we speed I think we can make it back to Storybrooke by 6am— that leaves us with plenty of time before sundown. She won't hurt anyone if we arrive before then. She might be evil, but at least she keeps her word." Regina informed Robin and Emma as they all hurried to the car.

"I'll drive. You save your strength, maybe get some rest if you can." Emma insisted. Regina nodded. She didn't think she could rest at a time like this, but she agreed with Emma about saving her strength - especially with the toll the pregnancy was taking on her body. Thankfully this had been a good day, but Robin still didn't know, and she had no idea how to bring it up. Maybe after this whole mess was figured out, she'd find the right time.

Emma took the driver's seat and Robin and Regina settled in the back. "Oh! Robin, what about Marian and Roland?" Regina asked.

"They'll be fine. I'll text Marian and tell her what's happened."

"You... text?"

Robin smirked, "We have much to catch up on."

They had a long drive ahead of them. Thankfully Emma was accustomed to going without sleep and still functioning well. But Regina - she couldn't take chances with her, especially with her just getting out of the hospital earlier that day. That, and she was still barely eating. And Maleficent. It had to be Maleficent. Yes, she said she wanted Regina, but technically Emma was the one who "killed" her… or whatever became of that. At least she knew she could beat her, which helped put her mind at ease as she drove.

"How is she?" Robin's voice broke the long period of silence. "Regina, I mean."

Emma looked back to see Regina passed out against Robin. Robin looked down at her in his arms; she knocked out about 20 minutes into the drive. Regina hadn't planned on sleeping, but she couldn't manage to keep her eyes open. She was exhausted. She laid there, completely limp. If Robin couldn't feel her breathing, he might be worried she was dead.

"I'm sorry?"

Robin brushed the hair away from Regina's face and ran his fingers through her hair. As he brushed his hand over a particular spot Regina shifted, letting out a small cry of discomfort, but thankfully she hadn't woken up. She must have been injured. What the hell went down when he was gone? "I mean, how has she been, these past months."

_What's a way to put completely dying inside, miserable… Oh! and pregnant and completely went through hell the past couple days?_ Emma knew it wasn't her place to tell Robin any of this; Regina needed to do it in her own time. But of course, when did Emma ever listen to common sense? "Well, uh, I mean it hasn't been easy for her."

"Did something happen to her? There seems to be an injury to the back of her head."

"Oh… that."

"_That_, what?"

Maybe she said too much.

"There may have been a small accident before we left." Or not so small. Actually a pretty big, horrifying accident that had everyone worried sick.

"What happened to her?"

Regina's magic had been entirely unpredictable recently. She'd stopped trying to transport herself for fear of history repeating itself. She had also tried healing herself before leaving but could only gather enough energy to close a few cuts. Emma was beginning to think there was more to it than Regina just being weak. It was almost as if something was absorbing her magic…

"I think maybe that's a conversation you need to have with her. But let's just say I hope she's ready for this fight."


	12. Ours

**Note: I'm terribly sorry for my delay in updating. Hopefully the next chapter will come sooner. Also, this has been kind of a "hiatus survival" story for me, and we're nearing the end of that, so this story will also (most likely) be coming to an end within several chapters. I also want to say a quick thank you to the people who have been reviewing (: I love reading them and seeing what you guys think of this story! **

Chapter 12: Ours

"Henry? _Henry_?!" Emma entered Granny's, searching frantically for her son. The electricity was out. Except for the light from the moon, the entire town was pitch black. An easy ploy to throw everyone off it seemed. Emma hadn't seen anyone since they had arrived, nor had the slightest clue where everyone might be. There were light poles draped over the streets, smoke rising from buildings, and an attractive crack down the main street. Storybrooke must have had a lovely time while they were gone.

"Mom?" Emma finally heard a response from the back room.

"I'm coming Henry! Hold on!"

Henry was loosely tied to a chair, thankfully, without a scratch on him. Emma quickly untied Henry and gathered him in her arms. "You had us worried sick, kid."

"I'm fine, Mom." He smiled, reassuring her. Then, realizing Emma was alone, "Wait, where's Mom?"

"Regina? She's uh."

"Don't tell me you let her go fight Maleficent alone!"

"Well, I didn't exactly. She insisted on going alone. She wanted you safe." Henry untangled himself from Emma's arms and heading for the exit. "Henry, wait!"

He turned around, "_why_ would you let her do that?! You know how weak she is right now!" Henry said, raising his voice probably more than he meant to.

"You didn't let me finish." Emma caught up to Henry, grabbing his arm, "She's not alone." Emma smiled, remembering the brief exchange between the couple. "Robin's with her."

…

It didn't take long for them to find Maleficent. Or well, for her to find them. "Here I was hoping we'd get to catch up, just the two of us." Maleficent mocked. She narrowed her eyes in on Robin, taking note of the protective manner in which he stood by her, and then the ring on Regina's finger, "Aww how lovely, dear, finally moved past that dead stable boy I see. Such a pity you'll have to lose this one too."

Regina raised her hand, curling her fingers to ignite a ball of fire. Instead, all that was produced was a small spark, like that of a lighter that was out of fuel. Regina's eyes widened, she glanced down at her hand then back to Maleficent. "Oh this is just too good." Maleficent waved her hand to attack once, when she noticed that Regina's hands, instead of shielding her face, she protectively wrapped her arms around her stomach. Maleficent froze for a moment, immediately realizing why Regina would do such a thing. "When exactly were you going to tell your old friend that you were expecting, dear?"

Robin's head sharply turned to Regina, unable to hide the shock from his face. "Oh, haha, you didn't know, did you? This just keeps getting better and better."

Regina's eyes met Robin's, embarrassed, she mouthed the words, "sorry." Then faced Maleficent once more. "What do you want, Maleficent? If you're going to kill me why don't you just do it?"

Maleficent laughed darkly, "Oh, dear. I don't want to kill you?"

"Then why are you here? Why insist on me returning?"

"Why? You had me locked away for over 30 years! You took everything from me. Everyone I loved is _dead_." She looked in Robin's direction, "I'm merely returning the favor." Maleficent smirked before waving her hand, causing Robin and Regina to be surrounded in a sheer blue force field, preventing them from moving. Under normal circumstances, Regina might be able to free herself, but it seemed as though her magic was completely gone. "Let's see, how shall we make this more painful? Ah!"

She approached Regina, with a look in her eyes Regina knew all too well. Revenge, satisfaction, it was nearly a mirror of herself back in her days as the Evil Queen. "This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me," at that Maleficent shoved her hand into Regina's abdomen, when Regina felt the sensation of fire from where Maleficent had reached.

_The last thing Regina could remember was a blinding flash of white light before she awoke to the sound of thunder. She was in her bed, with Robin asleep next to her. She quickly sat up to see her bedroom door open, and a face she didn't recognize standing in the doorway. A little girl. She appeared to be about 3 years old, with wavy raven hair, and the most beautiful, sparkling blue eyes that could only be compared to Robin's. The little girl's eyes searched hers, terrified. _

"_Mommy." She said before running to her bed, struggling to climb up before stumbling into Regina arms, her little hands latching on for dear life. The deafening thunder clashed again. "I'm scared." She cried as she squeezed tighter. Regina's heart stopped as the realization hit. Her daughter. How was this happening? It felt real. She could feel the little girl in her arms, her tears, her rapid breathing against her nightgown. She was real. And she looked too much like herself when she was a little girl, the color in her eyes too similar to Robin's to be anything but that. _

_She pulled the little girl in closer, stroking her hair. "Shh, it's alright sweetheart." She whispered._

_Robin awoke, but still half asleep, he sat up and stroked the little girl's cheek, wiping away the tears from his daughter's face. "What is it, my darling?" _

_Another flash of lightning followed by thunder that shook the house now had the little girl sobbing. Robin scooted closer to Regina, and joined her in trying to comfort their daughter. "_Hope_," Robin said, lifting his daughter's chin so she could meet his gaze, "My love, don't be afraid." She sniffled, looking up at her Father as he smiled, she began to calm down at her Father's soothing voice. "You don't need to be afraid of anything, ever." _

_She tilted her head, for such a young child, she seemed to be quite eloquent, "Because of what that man said, right? Because I'm special?" _

_Robin chuckled, "Yes," he kissed her forehead, "because you're special." _

Regina blinked, and once again found herself in the forest, laying on the ground, cradled in Robin's arms. She felt an ache in her body – she must have been thrown somehow. "Regina," she could see the look of terror in his eyes, and the sudden relief that came over him when she opened hers. "Regina," he whispered breathlessly, pulling her to his chest. His heart must have been beating a million miles an hour.

"Wha… what just happened?"

…

"This way!" Emma led the way, gun in one hand a flashlight in the other.

"Hurry!" Henry yelled as he pointed to where he saw Maleficent, Robin, and Regina in the woods. Before they could get any closer there was an explosion of light that erupted from Regina, followed by Maleficent being thrown towards Emma and Henry. Emma pushed Henry out of the way as Maleficent crashed into a nearby tree then onto the forest.

Their eyes met, both entirely confused as to what just happened. Robin and Regina were quite a ways off, but Robin's voice could be heard from where they stood as he ran to an unconscious Regina. Emma approached Maleficent. She wasn't moving. The garments on her right side seemed to be completely singed. Emma knelt down, examining her more closely.

"Is she…" Henry began as he came in closer.

Emma reached down to feel Maleficent's pulse. "She's," she looked back to Henry, shocked, "She's dead."

…

"Are you alright?" Robin said, breathless.

"I," Regina thought for a moment, taking in her surroundings. She must have been thrown a good distance, because there seemed to be an imprint on the forest floor a little ways from them. "I'm alright."

Robin smiled, and cleared a few stray strands of hair from Regina's face. "So, about this baby."

Regina looked away for a moment, "Well, I mean, it is yours, in case you were wondering," at that Robin laughed. Regina then met his gaze, taking on a more serious tone, "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, I just didn't know when—" she began to explain, but was rudely interrupted by Robin's lips. She couldn't help but laugh when she pulled back to see an enormous grin on his face. "What is it?"

"_Ours_, it's ours." Robin said, still unable to wipe the smile from his face.

Regina took Robin's hand and placed it over her stomach, "_She_, actually. _She's_ ours."


End file.
